The Sa’Peyi of Garki, Abuja, Alhaji Dr Usman Nga Kupi, has known as on the federal and state governments to ascertain specialised tertiary hospitals in each state to cut back Nigerians’ reliance on overseas international locations for medical remedy.
The monarch additionally urged the West African College of Physicians (WACP) to collaborate with governments, medical professionals and rich Nigerians to mobilise assets for the event of superior medical services.
Kupi made the decision throughout a go to by the WACP delegation to his palace forward of a free medical outreach at LEA Primary School, Waru group, Abuja, organised as a part of actions marking the school’s fiftieth anniversary.
He expressed concern that Nigerians continued to journey to international locations such because the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Turkey and India to entry specialised healthcare, regardless of the monetary burden related to searching for remedy overseas.
“My prayer and request to this body is that you people are trying. You are trying, but I want us to see how you can do more so that we can have special hospitals that will serve as tourist destinations,” he stated.
The monarch questioned why Nigeria and different African international locations had misplaced their earlier enchantment as locations for medical remedy, calling for an examination of the elements accountable for the pattern.
“It baffles me typically as a result of I keep in mind that after we have been kids, particularly earlier than we got here to Nigeria, many individuals from exterior our international locations got here right here to hunt medical remedy in our establishments.
“So, I do not know where we got it wrong. Is it the environment? Is it us? Or is it our governments that have created this problem?” he requested.
Kupi urged the WACP to interact outstanding buyers and philanthropists, together with Aliko Dangote, to help the institution of specialist hospitals able to offering superior medical providers domestically.
According to him, investing in specialised healthcare services at dwelling would assist scale back the substantial overseas trade spent by Nigerians searching for remedy overseas whereas making superior medical providers extra accessible.
“We should invest that money here. We should be able to put something on the ground rather than continue travelling abroad,” he added.
He additionally warned that abroad medical journeys may very well be costly and dangerous due to the fee and calls for of travelling lengthy distances to acquire remedy.
The monarch counseled the school for selecting Waru group for its medical outreach, saying the initiative had introduced healthcare providers nearer to residents.
Meanwhile, the President of the WACP, Dr Mamadou Mourtalla Ka, reaffirmed the school’s dedication to bettering healthcare supply and specialist coaching throughout West Africa.
“Healthcare has no borders. Healthcare does not recognise borders,” he stated.
Ka stated the school was working to enhance healthcare requirements and specialist coaching in English-, French- and Portuguese-speaking West African international locations.
The school’s fiftieth anniversary celebration, themed: “WACP@50: Celebrating a Legacy and Envisioning the Future,” featured its Annual General and Scientific Meeting and group well being actions.
At the medical outreach, a Fellow of the WACP within the Faculty of Family Medicine, Dr Pemi Daniel, stated about 15 sufferers had been chosen and screened free of charge surgical providers.
He stated sufferers with situations together with hernia, hydrocele and lipoma have been assessed for remedy, including that some had already obtained surgical care.
“We are attending to people with medical conditions and surgical conditions. In this place, we have about 15 people who have been selected and screened for free surgical services,” he stated.
Daniel added that different residents presenting with numerous medical situations have been additionally receiving consideration from members and fellows of the school.
Similarly, the Chairman of the Medical Outreach Committee, Dr Nnena Okafor, stated the programme offered well being training, remedy for frequent diseases and minor surgical procedures.
She stated sufferers presenting with fever, complications, stomach ache and malaria have been receiving medical consideration, whereas procedures together with lump excision and herniorrhaphy have been being carried out on the main healthcare centre.
Okafor stated the medical workforce had attended to its sixth surgical affected person on the time of the interview.
She expressed satisfaction with the turnout, noting that residents had come out in massive numbers and that enough medical personnel have been obtainable to take care of them.
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